Rivals
by IronHeartWriter
Summary: An old rival of Tony Stark's needs his help to survive, and he gives it to her reluctantly, unaware that he may soon need her help in return. Movieverse/AU Tony/OC COMPLETE!
1. The Call for Help

Disclaimer: I, of course, don't own Tony/Rhodey/Pepper, but I do own my OC P The rest of the Marvel world, of course, belongs

**Disclaimer: I, of course, don't own Tony/Rhodey/Pepper, but I do own my OC P The rest of the Marvel world, of course, belongs to Marvel!**

**Chapter 1**

It was 6:45 am according to the digital clock next to his bed. Tony Stark had been surprisingly deep in sleep when his cell phone began blaring.

"Hello?"

"Tony, it's Rhodes."

Tony felt an immense rush of anger charge through his body, "Rhodey, it's 6:45 am, on a _Sunday_ morning. I didn't go to sleep until 45 minutes ago! You better have a damn good reason for waking me up."

"We need your help," Rhodey said, a slight urgency in his voice. "Actually, Nicole Lion needs your help."

Hours later, Tony Stark slid his chair back from his newest 'experiment' as his assistant, Virginia 'Pepper' Potts walked into the room.

"Was it successful?" His assistant asked hesitantly.

"As successful as it's going to be," Tony responded. "You can wake her up now."

Tony was referring to the young woman asleep in the chair in which Pepper had once switched out his Arc reactor. If he would have had it his own way, this wouldn't have happened. The woman should have been dead, but of course, he owed Rhodey a lot, and it _really_ would have been a shame if she would have died.

"Nicole," Pepper said, walking over to the sleeping brunette. "Wake up."

The sound of her groan of pain reached Tony's ears and he just had to look for her reaction. As the brunette woman opened her eyes, they immediately fell on the glowing reactor, now installed in the middle of her chest.

"Shit," the woman mumbled. "How I wished that would have been a dream."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Nicole," Tony's voice showed the woman no mercy. He knew Nicole Lion very well. She had a reputation much like his own. Her family owned Lion Laboratories, a pharmaceuticals company that also dealt with the US Army like Stark Industries. He and Nicole had been at MIT together, both of them having gotten in at an extremely young age, and they'd been the biggest rivals the school had ever seen. Now, years later, her parents had retired and given the company to her. She made millions everyday from the drugs her company put out for the US Army alone. But that had been the beginning to her downfall.

Nicole had offered to go to Pakistan to help as a relief aide. Many people owed their lives to her company, and she finally decided she'd wanted to see what her drugs had been doing all that time. But while there, she'd been attacked, almost fatally. The same fragments that inhabited Tony's body from his own missiles now inhabited hers.

It wasn't really an option to let the woman die as she did so much for the people overseas, so of course, Rhodey had called Tony to help him. But, Tony knew this was a huge risk….

"This is just great," Nicole said, standing up and looking at herself in a mirror. Her hands flew to the gleaming reactor and she gave it a look of disgust.

"It's better than the alternative, Nicole," Tony rolled his eyes. "But if you'd _really_ rather die, I can still remove it."

"Insensitive as always, aren't you, Stark?" Nicole faced him, her brilliant blue eyes glimmering. "You never change."

"Oh, and I suppose you have?" Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Don't be bitter against me just because my company's _just_ as successful as yours is," Nicole said coolly. "Or should I say, as it _was_, considering how bad the explosion was a few months ago?"

"Bitch," Tony snarled.

"I think that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Enough!" Pepper's sharp voice cut across the room as Tony opened his mouth to respond. "You two are acting like _children_! Like it or not, Nicole, you owe Tony your life now. That reactor is keeping you from dying."

Nicole rolled her eyes while Tony laughed sarcastically.

"And you," Pepper turned on Tony. "You start acting like an adult. Yes, you didn't want to put the reactor into her, but then again, Rhodey didn't give you much of a choice, did he? Think of it as a new experiment. You can see what effect reactors have on other humans, and _maybe_ you can get Stark Industries back to where it was."

"I don't need her help to get Stark Industries back up and running," Tony snapped. "The _only_ reason _she's_ alive is because of Rhodey. I don't need anything else from her, nor do I want it."

"Like I'd even help you," Nicole mumbled.

Pepper shook her head, "You both never know, you may need each other's help one day."

"When hell freezes over," Both inventors snarled.

TBC!

**AN: Hey guys, I hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter! This is my first Iron Man fic, and I've been debating whether or not to put it up. I'll see what y'all think and then decide. I know the first chapter might've been a bit confusing, but I'll explain it all next chapter! Till then!**


	2. I Don't Need Help

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Nicole Lion was furious as she walked into Lion Laboratories the next day. She had to be very careful that no one would be able to see the gleaming reactor through her shirt. Just the thought of it was annoying her.

"Nikki! What in the world?! What are you doing here?"

Nicole sighed as her best friend/assistant, Lala walked over to her, "I _own_ this place, remember?"

"I know _that_," Lala said, rolling her eyes. "You just got back to the US yesterday! You were hurt!"

"I know that," Nicole said. "But I live to work."

"Stubborn," Lala mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing," Lala covered up. "Anyway, why the hell are you really here?"

"To get out of my house, and to try and forget my problems."

"What problems are you talking about?"

"I _was_ really injured in Pakistan," Nicole lowered her voice. "I'm not supposed to be alive."

"Then why are you?"

"Come with me."

Nicole led Lala through the floors to her office. Once behind the locked door, Nicole revealed the shining reactor to Lala.

"Tony Stark's invention?" Lala asked in confusion.

Nicole nodded, "I now need it to survive." She laughed sarcastically, "Who would've ever thought I'd be at the mercy of _Tony Stark_ of all people?"

She rolled her eyes at her reflection in the mirror, "Look at me, I'm a freak living off of a chemical reactor."

"But Tony Stark uses it when he fights, doesn't he?" Lala asked.

"Of course he does," Nicole responded. "How do you think he powers that metal suit? And how do you think Stane was able to power his?"

"So it makes you stronger."

"Like I want to use this for anything else but to save my life," Nicole said in disgust. "I _loathe_ the fact that my life basically belongs to Stark now. I may as well have sold my soul to the devil!"

"Jesus Christ."

Tony Stark was in no better mood than Nicole was all the way across town. His schedule was full for the next three days with meetings, meetings, and even more meetings, and it wasn't like he'd actually been aware of it.

"Y'know, I wonder if you _ever_ listen to me when I talk," Pepper was rebuking him as she handed him his suit jacket.

"Hmm?" Tony hummed. "Sorry, Ms. Potts, what were you saying?"

Pepper shot him an icy look, "Mr. Stark, I suggest you pull yourself together, or the Board of Directors is going to think you're going senile again."

"Like I _really_ give a shit what any of _them_ think," Tony rolled his eyes.

"Why are you so angry today?" Pepper inquired.

"I'm not," Tony responded.

"Well, it's obvious something is wrong with you. Might I suggest you talk to that something after this meeting?"

"What are you talking about, Potts?" Tony said icily.

"_Think_, Mr. Stark," Pepper suggested. "You know perfectly well what I mean."

With that, Pepper left him to think in his thoughts.

_Women_, Tony thought to himself. _Can't live with them, and sure as hell can't live without them._

Throughout the boring meetings, Tony did in fact find his mind wandering. And though he hated himself for it, it was wandering to a certain brunette who he'd given help to only 24 hours earlier. Growing up, he'd hated the mention of Nicole Lion. She'd always been trying to outdo him one way or another, and usually, she succeeded. Everyone had expected her to take the same route as he did and stick with technology as the highlight of her career, but she'd turned back to her roots and gone into the pharmaceutical field, just like her parents. Not that she didn't bring her technology smarts with her. Lion Laboratories had never been more successful after Nicole took it over. She did everything possible to make sure the company was up-to-date and always fitted with the newest technology.

Now, how did Tony know this? Another reason he and Nicole had grudges against each other. Their employees often came from one another. If one scientist didn't work out at one company, they pretty much knew the other would employ them. Nothing looked better on a resume than working for Tony Stark or Nicole Lion, even if they did hate each other.

Tony returned to his office after the first set of meetings, hoping for a bit of peace, but he wasn't going to get it….

There was a knock on the door, and Pepper walked in.

"More bad news?" Tony asked.

"Hardly," Pepper responded. "How did the meeting go?"

"I'm running out of options if I want Stark Industries to survive, Pepper," Tony said. "How do you think it went?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but you've got a visitor," Pepper sighed, a slightly amused look on her face.

"Who is it?"

Pepper stepped back, and none other but Nick Fury walked in.

"Oh, great," Tony's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Just what I needed today, more problems."

"Rough day, Stark?" Fury inquired.

"You've got no idea, Fury," Tony poured himself a glass of the scotch that had been sitting on his desk and took a swig from it. "What do you want from me today?"

"Word is that you've given an Arc reactor to Nicole Lion."

"I didn't _give_ it to her," Tony said. "I implanted it in her. I didn't have much of a choice."

Fury nodded, "It was a smart thing to do."

"Why?" Tony's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"We can use her," Fury said. "Or at the very least, you can."

"I don't think so, Fury," Tony said. "The last thing I need is help from _her_."

"Ah, the old rivalry of your parents' still exists then?"

"More than you could ever know."

"I still want you to keep it as an open option, Stark," Fury said. "You're all alone out here on the west coast. Maybe she can help you in more ways than one."

"How many times do I have to say it?" Tony's anger was rising. "_I don't want, or need help from Nicole Lion_."

TBC!

**AN: Another chapter….Hope y'all enjoyed it. I decided to add this chapter today just to give y'all some insight into what **_**might**_** be coming. Leave me some love!**


	3. Winds of Change

The day finally being over, Tony decided to return to one of his darker habits, going out and having a good time at the clubs

**Chapter 3**

The day finally being over, Tony decided to return to one of his darker habits, going out and having a good time at the clubs. He hadn't done it in a good while, all things considered, and the night just seems right for it. But hell, why go it alone?

"You are amazing sometimes," Rhodey said sarcastically as he meets Tony outside Lightning, one of the busier and more exclusive clubs in Hollywood.

"To what do I owe such a compliment?" Tony asked, his eyebrows raised.

"The fact that you have an opportunity to bring your company up right in front of your nose and you won't listen to me _or_ Pepper."

"What opportunity would that be?" Tony flashed his ID to the bouncer and stepped into the club where the music is pounding and the dance floor is packed.

"The Arc reactor you put into Nicole," Rhodey said.

"_No_," Tony's tone was firm. "Why the hell is everyone ganging up on me about that girl? I don't want to have shit to do with her now."

"Whatever you say, Tony," Rhodey left him in the direction of a woman who'd been caught his eye.

Tony rolled his eyes and walked over to the bar. He plunked down his credit card and one of the bartenders took it, "What'll it be?"

"Whiskey on the rocks," Tony grunted. "Leave the account open, I have a feeling it's going to be one of those nights."

The bartender nodded and went to make Tony his liquid fire. As the bartender handed Tony the drink, Tony saw another credit card lying on the inside of the bar next to his. It had the distinctive Lion Laboratories insignia on it. A closer look revealed the name Nicole Lion stamped across it.

_Oh, great,_ Tony thought angrily. _She's here too…._

His eyes scanned the club, and his jaw nearly dropped when he found her. She was in the middle of the dance floor, dancing with anyone and everyone around her. She looked _hot_, even he had to admit. Her long brown hair was around her as she danced to Rihanna's 'Please Don't Stop the Music.' She was wearing black leather pants that hugged her waist and a red halter top with beads dangling down from it. Tony realized that she had somehow managed to conceal the reactor. Wow…. It was definitely one of those times that Tony wished he didn't know her just so he could dance with her.

As the song ended, Nicole walked towards the bar, unaware of who had been sitting there watching her.

"What can I get ya, Ms. Lion?" The bartender asked.

"Whiskey on the rocks," Nicole responded with a smile. She was panting slightly from all the dancing she'd been doing.

"Drinking like a man, Lion?"

Nicole's good mood seemed to sour at the sound of his voice. She turned to face him, her eyes cold.

"What's it to you, Stark?"

Tony smirked, "Nothing, I just think it's impressive you can actually handle such a drink."

Nicole rolled her eyes as the bartender handed her the drink. She instantly upended it, pouring it straight down her throat without a second thought.

"You were saying, Stark?"

"Impressive."

"Thank you," Nicole responded. "Just one of my many talents." Her brilliant blue eyes traveled to the dance floor. "How about a dance?"

"You actually want to dance with _me_?" Tony nearly choked on his whiskey.

"We're not working tonight, Stark, tomorrow is another day."

"Fine, it'll be your downfall, not mine."

The two headed to the dance floor just as Nicole Scherzinger's 'Whatever U Like' began booming out of the speakers.

"How ironic," Tony smirked.

Nicole smiled, "Isn't it?"

The two danced, subconsciously going closer and closer to each other as the song progressed.

_Something 'bout that cocky thing  
You got me wanna see what's really going on_

Before Tony realized what he was doing, he kissed her. And it wasn't just a small kiss….His hands found her sweet smelling hair, while hers found the hair on the back of his scalp. Their tongues battled… trying to prove which one was more dominant…

_This isn't right…._

The voice sounded in the back of his head and Tony broke away from Nicole.

"Tony…."

"I'm sorry, Nicole," His mind was racing. "I shouldn't have done that."

With that he turned away from her and headed towards the exit. Nicole's anger burned like the whiskey she'd drank a few minutes earlier and she tore after him, just like a lion hunting its prey. She caught up with him outside.

"Tony! What the fuck!"

"I shouldn't have kissed you, Nicole," Tony said, not looking at her. "We're business rivals, that's how it's always been. I can't…."

"You little piece of shit!" Nicole's boiling anger finally overflowed. "What the fuck do you think I am? I'm not one of the slut Maxim girls that you fuck around with whenever you feel like it! You fucking disgust me!"

With the speed of a cobra, she slapped him across the face and promptly returned to the club. She got her credit card and headed back towards the front. She'd had enough for one night. She was walking through the entrance just as Tony was walking in.

"Stay the fuck away from me," She snarled.

"Nicole…."

"I don't even want to hear it."

She got her car, a Audi R8 just like Tony's, except it was navy instead of silver, and drove off. Tony cursed under his breath and returned to the club. He wasn't going to let that ruin his night

"You're fired."

Nicole's venomous attitude carried with her the rest of the next day. She was sick of getting bullshit from people and she was going to do something about it, even if it meant firing those who worked for her. After she fired the scientist, she returned to her office only to be approached by Lala.

"What happened to you last night that made you so mad?"

"Tony Stark is what happened," Nicole answered shortly.

"I don't follow," Lala gave her a strange look.

"I went to the club, Stark was there, we danced, he kissed me, he left me, I went after him, I slapped him across the face, and I left," Nicole said quickly.

"Wait, what? You kissed Tony Stark?"

"_He_ kissed_ me_," Nicole corrected her. "But I didn't exactly stop him…."

"Like a real kiss?"

"Lala," Nicole said seriously. "His tongue was down my throat and his hands were in my hair, what do you think?"

Lala smirked, "Was it good?"

"He's fucking Tony Stark! What do you think?"

Back across Tony Stark was having a hellish day as well. He was surprisingly feeling guilty about what he'd done to Nicole, and no one was letting him forget it.

"I hear you had fun last night," Pepper smirked as she came into his office.

"What're you…." Tony cut himself off. "I'm going to kill Rhodey…."

Pepper laughed, "You kiss Nicole Lion and expect it to not get around?"

"You're not helping," Tony informed his assistant.

"You did it to yourself, Mr. Stark," Pepper rebuked him. "But I'll give you some advice from a woman's perspective. Women like it when guys admit that they're wrong."

That night, Nicole pulled into her garage just after eight thirty. Her head was killing her, she was in a bad mood…. She felt like the day couldn't get any worse.

"Welcome home, Nicole."

The cool female voice that came out of the darkness didn't startle her one bit.

"Thanks, Sophie."

Sophie was Nicole's AI house computer. Nicole had worked long and hard to design her. But she was a flawless program, so Nicole's ego just boosted every time it was proven how well the system ran.

"Hello, Nicole."

That voice came from the shadows as well, and it scared the shit out of the young woman. A man stepped out of the darkness and stepped towards her.

"Where is Tony Stark?"

TBC!

**AN: Three chapters and not one review? ******** Ah well, I write for the love of it. But some reviews would be nice…. Till next time!**


	4. A Possibility

Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Nicole's bright blue eyes narrowed, "Who wants to know?"

The man walked towards her. Once out of the darkness, Nicole was surprised. The man was young, only about her age. And he was _handsome_, but that was _not_ relevant at the second.

"I'm Ezekiel Stane," The man said. "Stark and I have _personal_ business to tend to."

"Stane, hmm?" Nicole's interest rose. "Any relation to the late Obadiah?"

"Where can I find Stark?"

"What makes you think I got shit to do with him?" Nicole was as good as playing games as the next person. She wondered just how long it would take before the dude seriously got pissed.

Stane held up a picture that had clearly been taken the night before at Lightning as she was together with Tony. Apparently they were dancing in it…. Her jaw clenched angrily for a split second, and then….

Nicole laughed, "You _must_ be desperate if you're coming to ask me where he is. Tony Stark's not exactly a hard person to find. But right now, we have another issue. How the fuck did you get into my house?"

"There are ways…."

Nicole had a split second to jump out of the way as Stane shot a laser at her from his hand. The laser hit the wall directly behind where Nicole's head had been seconds earlier.

"Oh, _hell_ no," Nicole snarled. "First you break into my house, and then you shoot a laser at me? Ohh, _no._"

One thing that not many people knew about Nicole was that she was a fifth degree black belt. It was one of the many things that came naturally to her. She delivered a kick to Stane's chest that forced him back.

"Get the fuck out of my house."

"Bitch," Stane spat. There was a piercing sound that rang through Nicole's ears. Instantly, she felt all her muscles go numb and she fell to the floor in a heap. She tried to move her arms and legs, but nothing would move.

Stane stepped over her and her heart began pounding. If he touched her chest, he would find the reactor concealed under her shirt, and that would probably be the end of her. But luckily, he didn't.

"Tell Stark I'm looking for him," Stane said. He began to walk away, but seemed to remember something and turned back to Nicole. With the force of a bull, he stomped down on her stomach with one of his heavy boots. "That was for kicking me, bitch."

Had Nicole's whole body not been paralyzed, she would have cried out in pain, but she just lay motionless on the floor as Stane walked away. She heard the front door slam and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she began to regain feeling in her arms and legs, and, unfortunately, in her stomach. Hot tears trailed down her face as she sat up.

"Sophie," Her voice was weak and her breathing was painful. "Get me Stark's number. Now."

Tony was working with Dummy on the Iron Man Mark III armor down in his workshop when Pepper came down, turning his music lower as she came.

"How many times have I asked you not to turn my music down, Ms. Potts?" Tony asked, not even looking up from what he was doing.

"I don't know," Pepper responded. "Jarvis, how many times has Tony told me?"

"Mr. Stark has told you a total of 59 times, Ms. Potts," Jarvis responded in his smooth British accent.

"My point exactly," Tony mumbled. He tapped Dummy in annoyance as the robot got in his way of connecting two wires. "I'm sorry, am I bothering you?"

The robotic arm moved slightly to the left and Tony connected the wires.

"Why are you here so late anyways, Ms. Potts?" Tony asked, finally turning around to look at her.

"I just wanted to drop off some forms before tomorrow's meetings," Pepper responded as the house phone began ringing. "Oh, well that's interesting…."

"Who is it?" Tony asked.

"Nicole Lion."

Tony took the phone from Pepper, a look of disbelief on his face. Sure enough, Nicole's number was flashing across the screen.

"Hello?" Tony grunted as he pressed talk.

"Tony," Nicole's voice was still tinged with pain. "Who the fuck is Ezekiel Stane?"

"Why does it matter to you?" Tony asked, his suspicion rising.

"Because he just fucking attacked me!" Nicole exclaimed.

Half an hour later, Tony walked into Nicole's mansion, which really wasn't that far from his own. The woman was holding an ice pack to her stomach and wincing slightly as she walked.

"You okay?" Tony asked as she led him to the living room.

"He stomped on me like I was a rag doll," Nicole said. "What do you think?"

She sat down carefully on one of the black leather couches and faced Tony, "Now can you _please_ explain to me how the hell he can shoot lasers from his hands?"

"He's not human," Tony said. "That's how."

"Sure as hell looked like he was a human to me."

"He's a cyborg of sorts, so he _should_ look real."

"So, why exactly is he after you now?"

Tony looked at Nicole like she was crazy, "Oh, I don't know, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I killed his 'father?'"

"Okay," Nicole rolled her eyes, "Now answer me this: if you knew about him, why didn't you do anything about him?"

"Obadiah told me that he aborted the entire project," Tony sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "That was back when I still believed him to be on my side, not playing both."

"What are you going to do about him?"

"Anything it takes if he starts up with me," Tony responded. "I'm not exactly someone who has to worry about what happens if I get attacked."

"And what about me?"

Tony gave her a look, "What about you?"

"He came after me!" Nicole's blue eyes flashed angrily. "You _really_ think he didn't do that for a reason?"

"It's possible," Tony said.

"_Please_," Nicole gave him a look of her own. "You're a mathematician; you _know_ it's _more_ than probable that he'll do it again. Especially once he figures out that you've given me an Arc reactor too."

Tony sighed, "And what exactly would you like me to do?"

"I don't know! But what am I supposed to do once he does come after me? I might not love this reactor, but I can't live without it."

"There's a possible option," Tony said offhandedly. "But there's no way I can guarantee it'd even work or if it's even possible."

"What is it?"

TBC!

**AN: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I love them so much! This story is one of my favorites that I've written, and it's going in a slightly different direction than I thought it would be going, but that's not necessarily a bad thing….**


	5. Jackass

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Three days later, Tony stormed into SHEILD headquarters.

"Where's Fury?" He barked at Nick Fury's secretary.

"He…He's in a meeting," The young woman stammered.

Ignoring the woman, he stormed right through the double doors and into Fury's office. Indeed he was in a meeting, but Tony didn't really give a shit. He needed answers.

"Mr. Stark!" Fury flashed him a smile as if he didn't just interrupt him. "How are you?"

"I didn't come here for small talk, Fury," Tony snarled. "Did you know about Ezekiel Stane still being around?"

"What's this about, Tony?"

"Nicole Lion," Tony responded. "You knew that we were going to need each other's help, didn't you?"

"I heard whispers," Fury admitted.

"_Whispers_," Tony repeated disbelievingly. "And you didn't feel the need to share these whispers with me? The one who has to clean up after these _whispers_?"

"Whispers can be wrong, Tony."

"Yeah, but with you, they never are."

Tony left SHEILD a few minutes later, still fuming. But he couldn't stay and get all of his anger out. He had work to finish. He returned to his mansion, unsurprised to see the gleaming navy Audi R8 sitting in his driveway.

He walked down to his workshop where Pepper was standing with Nicole. Nicole looked petrified, but Pepper looked ready for work.

"She's ready," Pepper said to Tony.

"Let's get busy then."

Tony and Pepper started up the computers, and the floorboards hissed to life around Nicole. The robotic arms that usually assembled Tony in the red and gold armor were now holding pieces of black and silver armor.

"I hope this works," Pepper said as the robotic arms went to work around Nicole's body.

"It will," Tony said stiffly. "_I_ designed it."

The robotic arms worked carefully, finally tightening the armor around Nicole's body.

"Doing alright, Nicole?"

Nicole nodded at Tony. Her heart was hammering painfully as the helmet was fastened together. It lit up in front of her eyes.

"Systems online."

"Sophie," Nicole said happily. "What in the world?"

"I was linked to you by Mr. Stark," Sophie explained.

"Amazing!"

"Isn't it?"

Tony walked in front of her, "Can you breathe?"

"That's a dumb question, no offense," Nicole responded. "Of course I can…."

"Her body's reacting fine to it," Pepper said, watching one of the computers. "Even the reactor is agreeing with it."

"Always good to know," Tony said. "Now move aside so I can get suited up."

"Your attitude is _really_ pissing me off, you know?" Nicole snarled. "I didn't ask for this…."

Tony opened his mouth to retort, but Pepper cut him off, her voice sharp as a dagger, "_Don't _even think about it. You need her help now, whether you like it or not, _Mr. Stark_."

Nicole smirked behind her helmet as Tony clenched his jaw.

"Jarvis," Pepper said, keeping her eyes on her boss. "Assemble Mr. Stark's armor if you please."

"Commencing Iron Man Mark III armor assembly," Jarvis responded.

"Thank you, Jarvis," Tony said stiffly a few minutes later after getting screwed in. "Alright, _you_," He turned to Nicole. "Follow me."

With a roaring sound, Tony rose off the floor and shot out through the garage entrance.

"Like he's even told me how to fly?!" Nicole turned to Pepper, a note of desperation in her voice.

"Ask Sophie to help you," Pepper said reassuringly.

"Sophie….?"

"Yes, Nicole?" The AI responded instantly.

"Um…Flight, please?"

Nicole had to work hard to not scream as she too shot out through the garage entrance, following Tony's path. Tony was waiting in the air, arms crossed, like Nicole had some nerve to keep him waiting.

"I'm sorry, _your majesty_," Nicole's sarcasm was undeniable. "But you didn't bother telling me how to fly."

"A genius like yourself couldn't figure it out?"

Nicole was furious, "Even geniuses like us need help sometimes, Tony. Something I thought you would know by now."

"Oh, the irony…."

Nicole rolled her eyes, "What now, oh arrogant one?"

"Well, now that you can fly, somewhat," He could swear Nicole's jaw was clenching behind her helmet and he smirked behind his own. "You need to learn how to control your weapons."

"This should be fun."

"You're a black belt, correct?"

"Damn straight," Nicole responded proudly. "Fifth degree."

"Yeah, well, that's pretty much useless while you're up here."

"Well, hell, why not just tell me to just drown myself now so I won't have to be killed by Stane himself?"

"Do you have a comment for every thing?"

"Do you?"

"This is getting us _no where_," Tony growled. "Do you want to do this or not?"

"Honestly, no," Nicole responded. "There are a _million_ things I'd rather be doing right now than hovering in mid-air above your house. _But_ I don't have a choice, and neither do you. Ezekiel Stane isn't going to stay hidden for much longer, and no offense to you and your over-inflated ego, _you can't handle him alone_, not unless you're prepared to spend _weeks_ altering your own suit seeing as it cant get much more powerful until you come up with something new. What I don't think you realize Tony, is that _I'm_ the only one who _can_ help you, because I live off a reactor too. But unless you're willing to realize that, I don't think that I _am_ very willing to help you, Tony."

With that, Nicole flew back into Tony's house and landed with a bang on her feet.

"Pepper, please get me out of this thing."

"What's going on?" Pepper looked from Nicole, to the exit, back to Nicole again, a look of confusion on her face. "You can't be done already."

"I'm not doing this," Nicole said. "Tony can be as much of a stuck up ass as he likes, but I'm not putting up with it."

"Jarvis," Pepper's voice was sympathetic. "Take Nicole out of her armor, please."

As the machines around her began whirring to life, Tony returned to the basement. Nicole didn't give him one look as her helmet came off, she stared dead ahead, her jaw set. Once the armor was off, she didn't say a word, but began climbing the stairs to leave.

"Wait," Tony caught up with her in the middle of the staircase, landing in front of her in his armor.

"Yes?" Nicole's tone was impatient.

"Don't leave."

"Give me one good reason not to."

"Because I've been a stuck up jackass who can never admit when he's wrong."

"That reason might work with Pepper, but it doesn't with me, Stark," Nicole crossed her arms and glared at him. "I've got enough shit in my life, I don't need yours too."

"Why are you scared?"

"Huh?" Nicole's look turned to one of confusion. "How the hell do you get from one topic to the next?"

"The way you're standing with your arms crossed," Tony said. "And the look in your eyes. They're both saying something that you probably don't want them to."

"You're damn right," Nicole snapped. "But, my fears and worries are _none_ of your concern whatsoever.

"Why does it have to be like this between us?"

Nicole looked Tony in the eyes like she wanted to kill him, "Why didn't you ask yourself that a few nights ago when you kissed me in the club and decided to walk away?"

With that, Nicole stormed past him before he could say another word. The house was silent after her. But to Tony, silence meant thinking, one thing he did not want to do just then.

"Lightning," Tony mumbled to himself. "That's _really_ something I want to do right now."

So he got out of his armor, showered, bade Pepper good night, and left in the gleaming Audi R8 to head out to the hot LA club.

TBC!

**AN: Thanks so much to those who have been reviewing! I love it! Hopefully some action next chapter! ;) Have a good weekend! And remember: Reviewing is good for the soul!**


	6. Frustration

AN: Okay, this is a warning

**AN: Okay, this is a warning! Some ADULT content ahead. If you don't like it, just wait till next chapter. If you do like it, then **_**please**_** proceed….**

Chapter 6

The next morning, Tony wakes up rather early. The brunette he'd dragged home the night before was still sleeping soundly, and didn't stir as he got out of bed.

"Shall I have Ms. Potts deal with…._her_, Sir?" Jarvis asked as Tony went down the stairs.

"Please," Tony grunted.

It was early, he was bored. Not so much to do….

"Geez, and they say I'm naughty…."

Tony's heart pounded when he heard the voice. Nicole appeared, walking out of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hands. Tony couldn't help giving her a once over with the short shirt and tight top she was wearing.

"What in the _hell_ are you doing here?" Tony demanded, suddenly snapping back to reality. "And why the hell are you drinking my coffee?"

"Because I'm _just_ that charming," Nicole responded. "_Good morning_ to you too, by the way."

"Whatever," Tony rolled his chocolate colored eyes. "I thought you didn't want to help me."

"I don't," Nicole agreed. "But my conscience just made me want to come back. I _also_ wanted to see how your sluts get treated."

"What, are you keeping tabs on me now?" Tony asked. "How did you know I brought someone home last night?"

Nicole smirked, "You really don't pay attention to shit, do you? The brunette you dragged home is a dancer at Lightning, isn't she?"

Tony nodded, "And…?"

"If you would _ever_ pay attention to _anything_ you would know that I _own_ Lightning."

"What?!" Tony yelped. "_You_ own Lightning?"

Nicole nodded, "Don't look so shocked. You didn't seriously think that I spent my life slaving away at the Labs, did you? If you'll remember from MIT, I spent any free time I had at parties. I opened Lightning even before I took over Lion Labs. My parents wanted to kill me at the time…. But it was _so_ worth it…."

"Okay, so you own one of the hottest clubs in town, but you weren't there last night," Tony pointed out.

"Doesn't mean I don't know what goes on there," Nicole drained her cup of coffee with another smirk. "And apparently, you were _busy_ with one of my finest dancers last night…."

"Not your business," Tony said.

"You're right," Nicole agreed. "But I suggest you get your fucking head straight before you _ever_ try to say anything to me again about why things have to be so difficult between us."

Tony clenched his jaw to stop himself from responding. He knew Nicole brought up a valid point, but it wasn't one he wanted to deal with then. He walked past Nicole and got a cup of ice water.

"So, you ready to get to work?"

"If you're actually going to train me today," Nicole shot back. She was really pissed for some reason. As a joke, when Tony walked past her, he decided to try and cool her down. He promptly poured some of his water, with the ice, directly down her back. She made a noise between a snarl and a gasp and whirled around, pinning him to the wall with her karate given strength.

"_What_ the fuck was that for?"

"You were asking for it," Tony smirked, surprised at how strong Nicole really was. He flexed his biceps against Nicole's hold on his upper arms, and saw her try to hide a smile that came across her face. "Admit it. You liked the feeling."

"Bastard," She half laughed. With that, she kissed him heatedly. Tony responded instantly, kissing her back, just like he had a few nights before in Lightning. When she broke apart from him, gasping for air, he moved his way down to her neck. He pushed back her long brown hair and began to nibble and nip at the sensitive skin.

A moan escaped Nicole's lips that just seemed to encourage Tony more. He smirked to himself as a devious thought traveled through his mind.

"Come on," He said, his voice deeper than normal.

"Where?"

"The workshop," Tony responded simply.

Five minutes later, down in the workshop, Nicole couldn't control herself anymore. She was kissing Tony passionately, and letting him kiss her back. The second they'd arrived in the cool basement workshop, Tony had basically pounced her, attacking her lips and neck with fiery kisses made up of passion that he had been trying to suppress for the last few days. Not that Nicole didn't have some frustration of her own to vent.

What surprised her was when Tony took a piece of ice from his glass of water and held it directly to her burning skin. Her back arched instinctively, not used to the cool feeling against her skin. She said nothing as one of his strong hands slid up her shirt with the ice and slid it across her bare breasts. The fact that she was saying nothing, Tony took only as an encouragement. He knew Nicole well enough to know if she wanted him to stop, she would have made it clear by that point.

"Nikki?"

Nicole's brilliant blue eyes caught his.

"Are you sure about this?"

One of his callused hands was still circling one of her breasts, and she merely raised her eyebrows, "Such a gentleman all of a sudden?"

Oh, she was going to pay for that comment. Tony pushed her up onto one of the only tables that wasn't littered with his experiments. He kissed her passionately once more as his hands began to snake down her body. She hissed slightly into the kiss as she felt his hands go down her ribcage, her waist, and finally paused at her hips. He realized then that she must be ticklish….Oh, how that little fact would help him later. He slid one hand down Nicole's thighs, keeping the other one at her back while he kissed her. He slid his hand up her skirt and pulled down the underwear she was wearing. With a smirk into the kiss, he thrust two of his fingers into her.

Nicole gasped, her deep eyes widening as Tony found her clit and began to circle it. Her nails were suddenly clawing at his back.

"Tony…." Her voice was pleading. But whether it was to stop or continue was rather unclear.

When she said nothing else, he took it as an encouragement. He increased the pressure, almost bringing Nicole to her breaking point….

"Mr. Stark."

_Shit_. Jarvis's voice broke through the spell, making Nicole go slightly limp.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Stark, but the city needs your help."

"You're fucking me, right?" Tony was furious. He would've liked nothing better than to get the job done, and get a little pleasure for himself, of course….

"Actually," Nicole's voice was low. "I think it was you that was fucking me…."

Tony had to work hard not to be pissed. They had been so close….He'd been so close to actually getting Nicole…

"Go," Nicole's voice broke through his thoughts.

He looked at her, a look of confusion on his face.

"The city needs you," She sounded like she was physically sick.

"I need you to help me," Tony reminded her.

Nicole shook her head. Her body felt like true shit, "I would be more of a hindrance than a help right now. I don't feel right at all…."

Tony looked at her debatingly, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Nicole responded, lacing her fingers in his hair. "Go. I'll still be around when you get back."

Tony looked at her regretfully one last time before walking over to the black floorboards.

"Jarvis," He said.

"Already initializing, sir," Jarvis responded as the floorboards hissed to life.

Tony gave Nicole one final look as he flew out of the garage. Her back was now flat against the table, and her breathing was off. But her blue eyes were sparkling like always as they stared up at the ceiling. Tony was going to kill the asshole that had even bothered to attack now….And once he got back….He'd see about making Nicole feel better in more ways than one….

TBC!

**AN: Ahhh, dontcha just hate it when that shit happens? Lol. Thanks to those who reviewed. I know I promised action in this chapter, but you did get SOME kind of action….;P Till next chapter! Reviews mean more story!**


	7. Wait

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tony loved the rush that flying always seemed to give him, but at the moment, the _only_ thing on his mind was actually destroying the imbecile that had killed the moment between him and Nicole, and getting back to her. They _really_ had a strange relationship/friendship/who the hell knows what to call it, but he was cool with it for now.

"So what the hell am I actually going up against?" Tony inquired of the AI as he flew towards downtown LA.

"I can't tell you, honestly, sir," Jarvis responded. "But whatever it is resembles Iron Monger."

"That's Stane alright," Tony confirmed. Leave it to Obadiah's cyborg son to carry on his horrible legacy….

Tony landed rather roughly in a particularly dingy section of downtown LA. There were mostly factories and small houses around, but at the moment, people were running, absolutely terrified of what appeared to be a streamlined version of Iron Monger.

"You know," Tony said, firing off his hand lasers to get the new Iron Monger's attention away from civilians. "There are _way_ better places to fight than downtown LA."

"Stark," Ezekiel Stane's voice came a little metallically through his iron armor. "We meet at last."

"I've got to tell you," Tony said. "You've got the _worst_ timing in the world."

"Worst for you, and best for me," Stane fired mini-rockets at Tony from his arms. "You killed my father…."

"I didn't do shit to him," Tony said as effortlessly dodged the rockets. "_He_ fell into the reactor all by himself."

"Bastard," Stane snarled. Tony found himself dodging a hailstorm of bullets, but was unaffected by them in reality.

"What's powering your suit?" Tony's curiosity peeked through as always.

"I am," Stane responded. "You remember all that my father did to me, do you not?"

"I never forget a project," Tony assured him. He flew into the metallic armor that Stane had created trying to mimic his own, "But you were just that, a _project_."

"To you, maybe," Stane responded, regaining his footing and tossing Tony back. "But to my father, I was _much_ more than that."

Tony shot his Arc reactor beam at Stane, just as he was taking off from the ground.

"We'll meet again, Stark," Stane promised as he flew up into the air. "Thanks…."

Stane flew off at top speed and left Tony wondering.

_What the hell did he just thank me for_?

Tony put it to the back of his mind as he flew back to his house. Once Jarvis started taking his armor off, he remembered.

"Jarvis, where's Nicole?"

"She left."

"Typical," Tony rolled his eyes. Once the armor was off, he climbed the stairs to go get breakfast. On the fridge, he found a note, waiting innocently for him.

_Tony-_

_I got a call from the Labs and I had to go take care of something. Sorry I couldn't stick around to finish our….Training ;). Come by Lightning tonight. I'll make it up to you then._

_NL_

Tony smirked. She was playing games with him now? Tsk, she should know better than to play with the game master. But hell, if she wanted him to come by Lightning, he wasn't going to turn her down.

But first, he had to get through a day of work. More than that, he had to find Obadiah's files on the project that created Ezekiel Stane. That would help him more than anything. Once at the Stark Industries office building, it wasn't hard for Tony to hack Obadiah's last computer and find the files he needed.

"What are you doing?"

Pepper's sharp voice startled him slightly. Tony had stayed away from Obadiah's office when he _was_ alive, so she was curious as to what he was doing there now….

"How'd the dancer take it this morning?" Tony asked, returning to what he had been doing.

"Like they all do," Pepper responded. "But you didn't answer my question. What the hell are you doing in here?"

"Getting any and all files I can on Ezekiel Stane," Tony said, sounding somewhat distracted.

"Ah," Pepper walked over to the desk. "I'm surprised; you actually wanted to do it yourself?"

"No," Tony said honestly. "But I wanted something to keep myself busy, and this seemed perfect."

"Why do you suddenly want to be so busy?"

Tony smirked, _If you only knew…._

Like clockwork, Tony arrived at Lightning that night as the club was filling. It was a Friday night, so naturally it was busy as hell. Tony only had to go as far as the bar to find Nicole. She had been talking animatedly to Lala behind the bar facing the door. The second she saw him, a naughty smirk came to her face. Lala turned around to see what she had been smirking at, and a smirk came to her own face.

"Was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up," Nicole said as Tony sat down.

"I _never_ turn down an offer," Tony said. His eyes gave Nicole the usual once over. She was wearing a short metallic skirt with a black tube top, again her reactor was concealed. She produced a scotch for Tony from behind the bar and walked around it.

"Come with me," She said, taking one of his hands with hers. Tony realized then that she was barefoot as well. His interest was definitely rising with each passing minute.

"Have fun, Nikki," Lala called as Nicole led Tony away from the bar.

Nicole gave her best friend the finger as she led Tony towards a back room that had a stairway concealed behind one of the walls. She led him up the stairway and unlocked a door, revealing a small loft of sorts, complete with bed, TV, and Mini-bar. She closed the door behind them and locked it with a satisfying click.

"I didn't know this was here," Tony said, draining his scotch.

"Not many do," Nicole smirked. "Only those lucky enough to get on my…_good_ side do."

"Ah," Tony said. "I'm afraid to know how many have actually made it up here."

"Let's not worry about that now," Nicole said. She walked over to him and kissed him passionately. Tony reacted instantly, his tongue battling with hers, he led them over to the bed and pushed Nicole down onto it.

"How about we try doing this morning over again?" Tony suggested, a naughty glimmer in his chocolate eyes.

Nicole's breathing had begun to be a little erratic as she nodded. Tony kissed her again before moving down her body.

"Tony wait—"

TBC!

**AN: Haha, just HAD to do that to y'all….I love being evil sometimes. I want to give a REALLY big thanks to Pearl's Beauty, my faithful reviewer. You're definitely what keeps me updating so rapidly! Well, till next time! Please be kind; Review!**


	8. Background

Chapter 8

**AN: Warning! Loving ahead! Adults only!**

Chapter 8

Tony was mentally cursing. Why, in heaven's name, had Nicole said to wait? Tony slowly looked up into Nicole's eyes and found them glimmering with mischief.

"_What?_" Tony demanded.

"I've never been the submissive type," Nicole said. With the strength that only years of karate experience could have given her, she pushed Tony down and sat on his lower abdomen, her legs straddling his body. "That's better."

Tony smirked, his hands on either one of Nicole's thighs, "Nikki, you are so _strange_ sometimes, but I've got to tell you something too…."

As quick as lightning, he flipped Nicole over again so she was under him, "I like being dominant much more."

Tony kissed Nicole passionately before she could respond. He felt her giggling on the inside and decided enough was enough. He began to take off Nicole's shirt, and she did his. Tony was aching at this point, he'd known Nicole for too long, and he'd been too angry at her for too long. MIT had done nothing for them if not make them worse enemies.

_Back at the ripe old age of seventeen, Tony had been at the height of his MIT days. He was getting ready for graduation, when his father and mother appeared in the dorms._

'_Ben Lion's daughter is graduating with you, isn't she?' Howard Stark had asked his son._

'_Her?' Tony had said, a fire burning inside of him. 'Unfortunately, yes.'_

_The graduation was a horribly long and boring ceremony for Tony, who would have been happier anywhere but there. As the names were read out for their diplomas, Tony saw her. Nicole's hair had been shorter, but the rest of her was almost the same as the woman he was kissing. She took her diploma from the dean with a quick thank you and disappeared. After the last name had been called, all the students got together with their families, almost all of them at least. There was a heated argument going on between none other than Howard Stark and Ben Lion._

'_Dad!' Tony remembered Nicole's voice as she came running to the scene. 'What the fuck! Now is not the time for you to settle your old issues!'_

'_Shut up, Nicole,' Tony mentally wanted to kill the father Nicole had let speak to her that way._

'_No,' Nicole had never been good at walking away from fights. Be it with a fellow student, or even her own father. 'Dad, why the hell would you want to do this now? This is supposed to be—'_

_The rest of Nicole's sentence had been a yelp of pain as her father slapped her across the face. Tony remembered the scene clearly now as if it had been happening all over again. Nicole had turned around and left, promptly slamming into Tony as she vanished from the area. Whether Nicole had ever forgiven her father for that, he'd never found out…._

"Tony."

Nicole's voice seemed to snap him back to reality. He looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. She had let her father slap her without retaliating. That was the only time, in all the years of hearing stories and being in school with her, that Tony had ever seen her run from a fight. If she had run from her father then, when else had she?

"Everything okay?" Nicole asked, now looking slightly concerned.

Tony nodded, "Never better."

Putting the questions to the back of his mind for a later time, Tony gave in to the temptation in front of him. He thrust into Nicole, making her hiss and dig her nails into his back. Together their worlds ended in a blissful climax. But something was still bothering Tony, even as he fell asleep, his arm around Nicole.

Hours later, Tony felt Nicole still breathing deeply from beside him. He opened his chocolate brown eyes and looked at her. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. Strong, beautiful, always willing to fight….

That thought made Tony chuckle. _How can someone so innocent looking be a fifth degree black belt, who can probably kick my ass from here all the way to Afghanistan in a heartbeat?_

When Tony looked at Nicole again, he saw her blue eyes shining in the light from his reactor. Her own, he had discovered, had indeed been concealed by the shirt she had been wearing.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Tony said, sliding his hand along her bare back.

"It's okay," She still sounded tired. She put her arm around his torso and her head on his chest near the reactor.

"Can I ask you something?"

Nicole looked up at him, "Go ahead."

"At the MIT graduation, why did you let your father hit you like that?"

Nicole sat up then, taking the sheet along with her. The question had surprised her slightly. Definitely not the question she had been expecting….

"Tony, that was _years_ ago," She responded. "Why does it matter now?"

"Call it pure curiosity."

"Whatever you call it, it _really_ doesn't matter," Nicole turned from him and put her eyes on the clock. It was nearing six am.

"It does to me," Tony said, his hand on her bare shoulders. It was then that he noticed a tattoo right on the back of her shoulder. He hadn't seen that before…. It was simple, but nice. He recognized it as the Japanese symbol of love, intertwined with a purple flower. "I bet your father loved that tattoo of yours."

"Yeah, right," Nicole rolled her brilliant blue eyes. "I got it while I was at MIT, when I was still a minor. My dad flipped when he saw it. I'll never forget that…."

"What did your father do to you, Nicole?"

"What do you mean?" Nicole still wouldn't look at him. A telltale sign she was hiding something.

Tony sat up and kissed her shoulder, right above the tattoo, "You can sleep with me, but you can't tell me what happened with you and your father?"

"It's _not_ that simple," Nicole's voice had choked up.

"I _think_ my mind's a little complex, Nicole," Tony assured her. "I think I can handle 'not simple.'"

"Okay," Nicole's voice sounded angry now. "Try being ten years old, and while all other ten year olds are out having fun in the summer, you're stuck inside doing insane work. And your father's standing over you, ready to make sure you _remember_ it when you make a mistake."

Her voice rose a few octaves, telling Tony she was getting angrier and angrier, "Try being fifteen, _already_ in MIT, and having no friends, only people who come to you when they need something from you, and having a hateful father who scared the shit out of you every single time you did a _minor_ error."

A few more octaves up, "And _imagine_ having to try and out compete the son of my father's business rival on top of all of that! Tony, what more do I have to do to make it any clearer for you? Every time I screwed up when I was a kid, my father would hit me. He wouldn't take anything less than 100, and if I even _tried_ to give less than that, I might as well have given my soul over to the Devil himself."

Tony was silent as Nicole stood up. He hadn't been expecting that kind of reaction at all. But now that he did know the truth, he felt a little sick on the inside.

_That explains everything. The anger that she'd always had, the drive she's got to succeed, and the entire reason she never runs from any fights, except from her own against her father._ Tony finally understood, but the truth, was actually kinda scary.

"Now you know," Nicole's voice broke the silence. She sounded like she was trying to control the tears that were deep in her eyes, "Now you know the truth about me, and my screwed up family."

As she got up from the bed, pulling one sheet around herself, she looked back at him, "C'mon, it's Saturday, and you've got training to catch me up on."

TBC!

**AN: Well, another chapter done! I felt the need to go into some of Nicole's life to give a better understanding of her character, I hope y'all didn't mind.**

**Haha21: Thanks for telling me about the switching tenses, I didn't even realize that I do it lol. As for the reason Nicole didn't go get help for her stomach; 1, She's too stubborn for that, and 2, she runs a pharmaceuticals company, there's nothing the doctors can give her that she can't get herself.**

**Till next time!**


	9. Training

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Nicole and Tony went their separate ways for a while. Nicole went home to shower and change her clothes while Tony did the same. After a refreshingly cool shower, Tony's restless mind was still buzzing. He was half expecting to get a text message from Nicole saying that she wasn't going to come in the end. A text did come eventually, but it didn't say she wasn't coming….

**I'll be there soon**

**Need to stop **

**Lion Labs.**

Tony sighed; at least she wasn't entirely bailing on him. But wait a second. It was Saturday, why in the world did Nicole need to go to Lion Labs?

Nicole pulled up to the deserted Lion Laboratories building, parking her navy Audi R8 right in front of the building. Normally she hated when people did that, but the building was closed, so no one else needed to be in the building at that time other than her. She swung her access key in front of the scanner by the door. The lock clicked and Nicole opened the door, making sure to close it securely behind her. She didn't really have a VALID reason to be going into the building, other than the fact that she needed her laptop and forgot to bring it home the day before.

_Stalling,_ Nicole thought as she grabbed the black Apple laptop from her desk. _That's what I'm doing here. I'm stalling._

Nicole looked at the clock. It read 11:00 AM. She really had nothing else to sidetrack her from going to Tony's house now. So with a sigh, she went back down to her car and sped off in the direction of Tony's house, a nervous feeling in her stomach.

"Story of my life," Tony groaned as he sat in front of one of the computers in his workshop.

"Can I be of any assistance, sir?" Jarvis's voice startled Tony slightly. "What is it you are trying to do?"

"I'm trying to work on Nicole's armor a bit," Tony responded.

"Experimenting, sir?"

"Improving," Tony corrected the AI. "You and I both know my heart wasn't in it when I created it."

"What is it you would like to do to the armor, sir?"

"Upgrade its stats to match the Mark III of my armor," Tony responded. "Options?"

"The _only_ option available is to recreate the armor entirely," Jarvis said after a total of three seconds.

"Then do it," Tony said. "Nicole can train with this armor now, and then she can use the improved armor for battle."

"I would need to get a scan of her body first, sir."

"Do I want to know what happened to the last scan you had?"

"No, sir."

Tony rolled his eyes as the lights dimmed slightly, "Let me guess, Nicole is here?"

"Correct," Jarvis responded. "Shall I tell her to come downstairs?"

"Please," Tony sat back in his seat, interlacing his fingers. The sound of Nicole's footsteps reached his ears and she appeared moments later at the foot of the staircase.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were _ever_ going to show up," Tony informed her, standing up from his seat.

"I needed to get something from my building," Nicole said. "Sorry."

There was a slightly awkward silence, during which Nicole looked away from Tony. His eyes gave her the once over out of habit. She was dressed a little more conservatively than usual. Her hair was pulled back, and her eyes emanated sadness instead of their usual joy. She wasn't doing well….

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Tony asked, taking a step towards her.

Nicole nodded and took a hesitant step back, "I've been looking forward to this."

"Good," Tony gave her a smile which she returned weakly. As she walked past him to the floorboards where she would be secured into her original armor, Tony pulled the band out of her hair, making the waves of brown hair cascade around her shoulders.

When Nicole looked at him, ready to protest, he smirked, "I always did like your hair better when it was down."

Nicole rolled her eyes as the floorboards hissed to life around her. Once she was secure in her armor, she stepped aside so Tony could be secured into his. Once they were both in their armor, Nicole followed Tony out through the garage, flying at top speed. About 1000 feet above his house, Tony stopped and turned to Nicole.

"You okay?"

"Never better," Nicole responded.

"Good," Tony said. "Now try and hit me with anything you got."

"Are you insane?" Nicole asked.

"You're not going to hurt me," Tony said. "The armor was built to be strong."

"And if I _do_ hurt you?"

"We'll worry about it then."

Nicole shook her head.

"C'mon, Nikki!" Tony groaned. "If you wouldn't hit me, would you hit Stane? Or better yet, would you hit your own father?"

"Shut up," Nicole's voice sounded dangerous.

"Come _on_, Nicole!" Tony sent a light repulsar beam her way. It hit her directly, but that seemed to stir up something inside of her.

Her repulsar beams began glowing, and Tony dodged them effortlessly.

"Is that the best you got?" Tony was baiting Nicole any way he could. "By now your father would have beat the shit out of you, and Stane would have murdered you."

"Be quiet," Nicole fired the beams again, this time they were stronger and Tony had less warning. She was getting angry, which was usually the time when people fought the best.

"You let your father push you around years ago," Tony taunted. "Are you going to let me do the same?"

Tony didn't have enough time to dodge a mini missile that came out of Nicole's arm. It hit him in the chest right above his reactor.

Nicole, realizing what she had done, was terrified, "Oh….Oh, my gosh! Tony!"

She flew a few feet towards him, but Tony was changing the game up a bit. Nicole couldn't just stand there and hit him without him firing back. He charged up his Arc reactor repulsar and fired it. Nicole let out a small scream and dodged it.

"What the hell!"

"You didn't think I wasn't going to fight back, did you?"

Nicole's eyes widened behind her helmet and she shot off in another direction. But every turn she made, Tony was right there in front of her, his lasers glowing threateningly.

"Tony," Her voice was diminished to a fearful squeak. "Please…."

"Nicole," Tony said, powering down his repulsars. "You don't think I would intentionally hurt you, do you?"

"This _honestly_ scares the shit out of me, Tony," Nicole sighed, relieved to see Tony's repulsars lowered.

"You're going to have to get used to it," Tony said. "Very soon too."

Nicole gulped, "How?"

"I'm going to train you how," Tony said. "Come with me."

TBC!

**AN: Ah, a good chapter I think if I do say so myself. I forgot to mention, yesterday I finished reading the novelization of Iron Man… Can I just say that it was AMAZING?! Peter David did the script justice! If you liked the movie, I DEFINITELY suggest you stop by a Barns & Noble and read it. There are some scenes that weren't in the movie and some that were edited….All in all, it was AMAZING!! Till next time! **


	10. Pain, Hate, Love?

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Tony and Nicole returned to Tony's workshop. She was happy to be back on solid ground. Flying was fun, but it made her feel so damned lightheaded….

"Get out of your armor," Tony instructed as he popped off his helmet.

"You're not getting out of yours?"

Tony shook his head, "You'll see why."

Nicole let the robots unscrew her armor and take it away. Not even two seconds later something inside of her told her to duck. She did so, just as one of Tony's repulsars hit the wall. Had she not listened to that gut feeling, it would have hit her.

"What the fuck!" Nicole whirled around to find Tony's repulsar glowing again in her direction. Her heart thudded as she back flipped out of the laser's path. She understood what he was up to now.

"Karate," Tony said. "That's your strength."

"Yeah, and aren't _you_ the one that told me it's useless up in the air?" Nicole asked, crossing her arms.

"It is," Tony agreed. "But it's essential for training. I don't think you're going to be standing on a hard surface when you're 20,000 feet above sea level, but if you can do some of your good old karate moves in the air, and add your weapon's power to it, it could be the most vital thing you need to survive."

"Aha," Nicole hummed. "And your reason for shooting at me is…?"

"I told you I was going to train you," Tony said. "Get ready…."

Several hours later, Nicole was in pain. Fighting hand-to-weapon was definitely something she was _not_ used to. She'd gotten grazed several times by low-level lasers from Tony's repulsars, but she just channeled the pain into her fighting. But now that they were done, she was in pain as she collapsed against the couch.

_It even hurts to blink_, Nicole thought as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I would say I'm sorry I managed to hit you, but…."

Nicole groaned in response. Trying to use her vocal cords fully was also a little too much to ask at that moment.

"Hey, Jarvis?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark?" The AI responded almost instantly.

"Now that Nicole is either _unwilling_ or _unable_ to move, scan her so you can do what we talked about earlier."

"Stand by."

Nicole had been lying on the couch with her eyes closed, but the second a bright red light surrounded her, she tried to move and she couldn't. It brought back the feeling that the sonic taser had given her. Once it was gone all her feelings returned, including the intense pain.

"Ow," She whispered, a tear streaming down her cheek. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

"Estimated completion time is five hours," Jarvis's voice sounded somewhere deep in her mind.

"It could be worse," That was Tony's voice. Jesus Christ, why couldn't she process things correctly?

"Nicole."

He was talking to her. She wanted to respond, but her body was unwilling to let her. She felt one of his familiar strong hands on her arm and she hissed in pain. The second she did, he removed his hand from her, afraid to hurt her anymore. She heard him walk away.

_Great, he leaves me now too?_

But then the footsteps returned, and she felt him pour something sweet into her mouth. Instinctively she swallowed. Once it was sliding down her throat, she recognized what it was. If she wouldn't have recognized it, she probably would have kicked herself. It was something her company had developed to take away pain almost instantly. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling the pain going away.

"Thank you," She said quietly, extending one of her hands and caressing the side of Tony's face.

"You're welcome," Tony turned his face and kissed Nicole's hand. "See? Even I get things Lion Labs puts out."

"But how exactly did you get that?" Nicole asked, nearly laughing. "It's something that was given to the Air Force, not to pharmacies…."

"Rhodey," Nicole said at the same time as Tony as the realization hit her.

Tony's eyebrows rose, "If you knew the answer, why did you ask?"

"I forgot," Nicole shrugged. She sat up gingerly, feeling the pain vanish as she did.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in so much pain?"

"I wasn't until we stopped," Nicole responded. "Fighting is a good distraction."

"And a good way to get yourself killed if you don't pay attention to your body," Tony added.

"I'm still _new_ at all of this, remember?!" Nicole stood up, her blue eyes looking defiantly into Tony's. "_My_ last opponents _didn't_ exactly have the firepower that you do!"

"But your new ones do," Tony said. "You've got to _adapt_."

"Easy for you to say," Nicole growled. "You're the one who came up with all of this in the first place."

"Someone had to."

Tony's cockiness was getting to her again, "You arrogant _jerk_."

"Takes one to know one, Nikki."

"I hate you so much."

"I hate you too."

Without either of them realizing, they had moved closer and closer to one another.

"And yet," Nicole breathed, Tony's lips inches from her own. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Nicole's insides leapt as she kissed Tony passionately. He'd said the 'L' word! He'd said it! But wait a second, so had she! Oh… Oh dear… Had she actually let herself fall for _Tony Stark_?

TBC!

**AN: Ah, another chapter down. I just had this idea in my head and had to get it out. I don't know whether I should be sorry or not for such a quick update….**

**Preview of Chapter 11: Nicole battles internally with herself over what she's said to Tony. In the meantime, Ezekiel Stane resurfaces!**


	11. Uncertainty

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"_You told Tony Stark you love him?!_"

It was the next night. Nicole had called Lala up, desperately needing her best friend, and they agreed to go for a girl's night out. Nicole sighed and downed half of the scotch glass that had been sitting in front of her.

"For the _fifth_ time, Lala," Nicole's speech was slurring slightly, "_Yes_ I said to Tony Stark, 'I love you."

"Well?" Lala asked. "Do you?"

"If I _knew_ a straight answer to that, do you _really_ think I'd be sitting here trying to get myself drunk enough to try and make myself forget that I said it?" Nicole downed the rest of the glass and motioned to the bartender to refill it. That had been her third glass of scotch, and so far only her speech had been affected. _Crap, it's going to be a long night…_

She felt his presence before Lala even opened her mouth to remark, "Well, you better get a straight answer within the next thirty seconds."

She realized then that if she was feeling his presence before she even saw him that either they had been spending _way_ too much time together recently, _or_ there was actually something more going on inside of her.

"You know," His low voice reached her ears seconds later. "If you're trying to avoid someone, you probably shouldn't be at the hottest club in LA."

Nicole spun around a little too quickly on her stool, causing her equilibrium to swing with her and almost lose her balance. She felt Tony steady her and she felt her face burn.

"I'm not avoiding you."

"How drunk are you?" Tony's eyebrows rose. He'd heard her speech slip slightly and finally he understood why she had nearly fallen off her seat.

"I'm _not_ drunk either," Nicole objected. "There isn't enough liquor in this world—"

"Shh," Tony held up a hand to stop her. "Now you sound like me. So, back to my original question; why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm _not_ avoiding you, Tony," Nicole said.

"Oh, really?" Tony gave her a skeptical look. "Checked your phone recently? You got three messages and two texts from me between 11 this morning and now."

"I had to get things together for a major meeting that I have tomorrow," Nicole said in her defense.

"And I see this is how you prepare the night before," Tony indicated her newly refilled scotch glass.

"Don't _even_ go there, Tony," Nicole rolled her eyes. "_You're_ the one who drinks at work, not me."

Nicole drank the scotch and felt her head begin to swing slightly. _Oh, Jesus…_

"Can we go talk somewhere?" Tony sounded a little too serious, and that got Nicole slightly worried….

"The loft upstairs?" Nicole suggested.

Tony nodded and Nicole got up from her stool, slightly shaky.

"Nicole," Lala said. "I'll wait for you. I don't want you to drive home."

"Thanks," Nicole called back to her.

Nicole and Tony climbed the stairs to the loft and once the door was closed and locked, Nicole fell back along the bed.

"Did you mean what you said yesterday?" Tony asked.

"Did you?"

"Okay, we are not going to sit here playing games like that, Nikki," Tony sighed. "How many drinks did you have tonight?"

"Only four."

"It's nine-thirty, Nicole."

"Oh, you mean it isn't three-ninety?" Nicole rolled her eyes. "I _think_ I can tell time, Tony."

"My point is," Tony pressed on. "Is that I've never seen you _this_ drunk so early in the night; maybe by like one or two AM, but never at nine-thirty. What's bothering you?"

"What's bothering me is the thought of the consequences of my words, Tony."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you _really_ think people will accept the fact that you and I love each other? Tony, my own _family_ would destroy me if they knew I'd slept with you and that I have these feelings for you. Things _aren't_ that simple!"

"Since when do you care what your family thinks?" Tony asked.

"Since I was born a Lion," Nicole snapped. "I may own Lion Labs now, but if my _parents_ give off a rumor that something bad is going on down there, I'll lose _all_ my business. And with my business, would go the rest of my life." Nicole glared at Tony as if he had done something wrong, "You just _had_ to be born a _Stark_, didn't you?"

"Like I had a choice," Tony laughed. "So what, Nicole? Let your family _try_ and bring you down. You have Stark Industries on your side now. Who says _anyone_ has to find out anyway?"

Nicole groaned and buried her face in one of the pillows, "_Sometimes I hate that I love you, Tony_…."

Tony walked over to her and pulled her out of the bed. He kissed her gently, and she allowed it to deepen.

"But I love that I love you, Nicole."

The next morning, Tony was drinking his coffee, deep in thought.

_That girl has way too much weight on her shoulders…._

"Excuse me, sir," Jarvis's voice punctured his thoughts. "Ezekiel Stane has resurfaced."

"Any clue where Nicole Lion is right now?" Tony asked as he got up and went towards the staircase.

"Energy from her reactor shows that she's at Lion Laboratories."

"Great…Just great," Tony groaned. "She's going to _love_ me right now."

Nicole was walking through an empty hallway on the way to her meeting when her cell phone started ringing. She looked at the Blackberry and saw Tony's name flashing across it. A look at the clock told her she was already late for the meeting. She jabbed the talk button somewhat hesitantly.

"Tell me this is important," Nicole said quickly.

"It is," Tony's voice sounded like it was traveling through a wind tunnel.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nicole asked. "I can barely hear you."

"I'm flying towards downtown," Tony said. "Stane resurfaced. I need you to go to my house and—"

"Whoa!" Nicole cut him off. "Hold up. You can't just call me like that and tell me you need me! I have a meeting that I'm already late for!"

"Nicole, I wouldn't call you if I didn't think I was about to need your help," Tony's voice sounded slightly desperate. "_Please_ go to my house and get your armor so you can come kick some ass with me."

"_Tony_," Nicole groaned. "And what the hell am I supposed to do about this meeting?"

"Reschedule it?"

"After it already started?"

"A meeting doesn't start until the owner gets there, just like a private jet."

Nicole sighed and rolled her eyes, "You _so_ owe me for this, Tony."

Nicole walked into the boardroom of waiting employees. She took a deep breath and prayed that this wasn't going to blow up in her face.

It blew up in his face. It didn't hit him, but the stray missile blew up the top section of a nearby building as Tony passed it. Stane was waiting for him like someone waited for the bus. He was just standing around, firing random missiles….

"Am I boring you?" Tony inquired.

"No," Stane responded. "But it's rude to keep someone waiting. Your time to save people is running out, Stark."

"What do you mean?" Tony demanded.

"Perhaps you should check around your own building a little more carefully…."

"What have you done at Stark Industries?!"

"Oh," Stane fired one more missile from the armor of his Iron Monger armor. "Five minutes and the whole LA will see."

TBC!

**AN: Happy 4****th**** of July Americans! I hope this adds to the joy of the day! This chapter is dedicated to all the soldiers overseas and all those who have been hurt or tragically murdered since 2001. May God bless all of them and their families and may the war end soon.**


	12. Karma

AN: Some adult content towards the end

**AN: Some adult content towards the end! Beware!**

Chapter 12

Nicole was just pulling up to Tony's Malibu mansion when her cell phone began to ring. She was in a dangerous mood already, ad her mood was getting worse as she saw Tony's name flashing across the screen of her blackberry.

"More good news?" Nicole's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I need you to go to Stark Industries," Tony's voice sounded once more like it was coming from inside a wind tunnel.

Nicole rolled her eyes as she walked into Tony's house, "Do you need your slippers and pipe too?"

"There's a bomb there, Nikki."

"Do I look like the bomb squad now?"

"Nikki, please." Tony's tone brought Nicole slightly out of her anger. "I've got Pepper evacuating the building as we speak, but she can't take locate the bomb."

"And you think I can?"

"Sophie will be able to," Tony explained. "_Please_, Nicole. You're the only one who can do it because I'm dealing with Stane downtown."

"Like I actually have a choice?" Nicole sighed as she walked down to Tony's workshop.

"Thank you, Nikki."

"Whatever."

"Oh, and Nikki?"

"There's more?" Nicole groaned.

"I love you."

For the first time, in a _really_ long time, Nicole felt herself melt. She _hated_ when people made her melt; it made her have to show real emotion, something she very often tried to not do.

"You too."

Several minutes later, Nicole was all screwed into her gleaming silver and black armor.

"All systems online."

Sophie's familiar voice brought comfort to Nicole, "Glad to have you with me, Sophie."

"Where are we off to, Nicole?"

"Stark Industries," Nicole said. "Tony said there's a bomb there."

Back across town, Tony was effortlessly dodging missile after missile from Stane.

"There's _one_ thing I have that you don't, Stane," Tony said tauntingly.

"What's that, Stark?" Ezekiel Stane snarled.

"Jarvis," Tony smirked. "Jarvis, why don't you show our dear _friend_ what we do to those who are dumb enough to attack _our_ city?"

Tony felt his repulsar beams charging up. He fired them and hit Stane directly.

_It's good to be me…._

_It sucks to be me…._

Nicole landed at Stark Industries as everyone was running away from the building.

"Sophie, detect this bomb and let's get it so I can go and kill Tony."

"The bomb is up on the top floor, Nicole," Sophie responded.

"Perfect," Nicole grinned and followed the path that Sophie had projected in front of her eyes. She flew up and the sound of 'tic-tic-tic' grew the closer she got to the top floor. She landed.

"Oh, shit." Nicole's eyes widened as she saw the bomb. It reached zero just as she got up to it. She braced herself for the worst, and indeed the worst came. The entire top floor blew up and she was hurled out the windows. Her screen was black; she'd lost connection with Sophie. She could see the rest of the Stark Industries building falling past her. She couldn't get her flight thrusters to start….

"Oh, this is going to hurt…."

Nicole braced herself for the impact and she heard herself hit the floor with a sickening crunch.

"Ow…"

The world around her went black. When she woke up, the world was spinning. She shook her head once to rid it of the ringing and then sat up slowly.

"Are you okay?"

Nicole looked around. She was back in Tony's workshop. Tony was sitting nearby, his chocolate eyes full of concern.

"Yeah," Nicole responded. "I can't say the same for your building though…."

"It was only the top floor," Tony said. "All I care about is the fact that you're okay."

"I need….a drink."

The next morning, Nicole was taking inventory of all the liquor in Lightning. It was a long and tedious job, but only she could do it. She just finished counting boxes of Absolut Vodka when she felt him. She felt his presence two seconds before she felt his arm go around her waist.

"Tony," Her voice was a gasp. Just his touch was enough to make her go insane. "What…What are you doing here?"

She felt a chill go through her as Tony's lips attacked her neck, "I _owe_ you, remember?"

"Not…" Nicole's head was starting to swim as one of Tony's hands trailed up her thighs. "Please, not…."

The rest of her words disappeared as Tony's rough fingers found her clit and began to circle it. Nicole's breath became erratic and it was punctured with short whines and moans. As Tony began adding pressure, Nicole's thoughts became hazier and hazier. It was pure heaven to her, but she had to remember….

"Tony, _please,_ not…."

Before Nicole could finish her sentence, she came. All her muscles tensed and released gloriously, but it left her limp and shaking.

"_Tony_!" Her voice was slightly stronger now. "Why! I am at _work_! Are you trying to embarrass the shit out of me?"

"The club is closed now though," Tony was smirking even though it was obvious Nicole was pissed.

"I have to go to Lion Labs in _twenty_ minutes for that damn meeting you made me reschedule!"

"Then I suggest you go clean yourself up instead of standing here arguing with me."

Nicole snarled, "This is _war_, Tony!"

Nicole's promise rang in his ears for the rest of the day. When he returned to his own home after a day of trying to figure out a way to get the building repaired, he went straight for his workshop.

_She's here_.

He didn't know where that feeling came from, but he felt it. Nicole was somewhere around his house. He decided that if she wanted him, she could come get him. He sat down in his favorite computer chair, and realized a second later that he shouldn't have. Two metal cuffs went around each of his wrists, strapping them down. Nicole appeared, her eyes glimmering with mischief.

"Well, looks like I caught me a Tony Stark…."

Tony instantly tensed at the sight of her. She had changed since the morning, wearing a pair of low-riser pants and a black tank top. She had a bunch of black bracelets along her wrists and a smirk on her face.

"What the hell, Nikki?"

"Karma," Nicole said, walking closer to him and standing with her arms crossed. "Is a bitch."

With that, she straddled Tony's lap and felt his manhood twitch in response. She undid his belt at an agonizingly slow pace. She the unzipped his fly, smirking at the erection she'd caused.

"Just sit back," Nicole instructed. "And relax."

She reached for his manhood and began stroking it, letting her long nails linger. She heard Tony's breath catch in his throat and she grinned when she looked into his eyes.

"Touch…it's such a powerful thing, isn't it?"

She was taunting him as she continued her handjob. She touched all the right places at the right time…Tony had never gotten a better handjob in his life…. His whole body tensed, his back arched, and he released with a moan.

"Oh, my god…."

Nicole gasped as she looked up. Her bright blue eyes caught the blue ones of Pepper Potts as she entered the workshop.

TBC!

**AN: Dontcha just love it when people get caught in the act? Hahahaha! **


	13. Training Part 2

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Nicole's face split into a smirk as she held Pepper's gaze. It was definitely a guilty smirk, but a smirk nonetheless. Nicole could see Pepper's face turning red as she felt her own burn brightly.

"Hi, Pepper," Nicole chimed as if she hadn't just walked in on anything important.

Tony let out a low groan and put his head on Nicole's chest beside the reactor, only making Nicole's grin grow.

"I'm _so_ sorry," Pepper said awkwardly. "I didn't know—"

Nicole laughed, "We _weren't_ doing anything…_horrible_, Pepper. I was just _repaying_ Tony for some shit he decided to pull earlier."

"Aha," Pepper scratched the side of her nose offhandedly. "I think this is probably the most _awkward_ thing I've ever walked in on…."

"_Considering you have yet to get off of me,_" Tony growled so only Nicole heard him.

"Hey," Nicole shrugged and started to move off of him. "If you want me to get up and leave you exposed to both me _and_ Pepper…."

"On second thought…."

"Thought so," Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Why me?" Tony groaned.

"_Karma_," Nicole sang.

"Well, um…." Pepper coughed. "When you two are..._through_, Rhodey's upstairs."

"Oh, Jesus," Tony groaned as Pepper let his workshop. Nicole got off of him and went to wash her hands, her smirk still in place. "I'm glad you see this as funny."

"Actually, I see it as _hilarious,_" Nicole burst out laughing. She walked back to Tony and released his wrists. "Love you, Tony."

She kissed his cheek and had exactly two point three seconds to run before Tony bolted after her. He caught her by the shoulders right by the top step of the staircase and she let out a cry of pain.

"What the hell?"

Rhodey appeared at the top of the steps a confused look on his face.

Nicole ignored him and whirled around, "You jerk! Did you _forget_ I fell a good twenty stories out of _your_ building yesterday?!"

Rhodey looked from Tony to Nicole, a look of confusion on his face, "That was you?"

"Who else would it be?" Nicole's good mood had evaporated as she stalked over to sit on one of Tony's plush leather couches.

"Glad to see you're not bitter," Tony poured himself a glass of scotch and sat down on the opposite side of the couch.

"Pepper tells me that you two are getting along better."

"Oh, we are," Nicole's smirk returned. "In more ways than one…."

"Tony Stark and Nicole Lion…." Rhodey laughed. "No one at MIT would _ever_ believe it."

"Like I care what _they_ think?" Tony took a sip of his scotch and turned to Nicole, "You're not going to be mad at me all night now, are you?"

"No," Nicole responded. "But I do have a question. Why in the hell did you send me to Stark Industries to get thrown out a window? You knew that was going to happen to me. There was _no_ way I could have stopped it from going off with such little time. I could have been a bigger help with Stane."

"You going against Stane would have been suicidal, Nikki," Tony informed her. "You don't have enough training yet."

"Then train me!"

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" Tony inquired.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what the hell you've been doing," Nicole said. "But if what you've been doing to me isn't training, then I suggest you get with it because I'm fighting with you next time whether I'm trained or not."

"Let's go."

Tony rose to his feet abruptly, putting down his glass of scotch.

"Go?" Nicole looked at him like his head had just exploded.

"You wanted training, you've got it," Tony's tone was a no-shit tone.

"Okay…." Nicole got to her feet as well, though somewhat reluctantly.

"Can I watch?" Rhodey asked.

"Sure," Tony said. "Go up on the roof, you'll have a clear view."

Nicole followed Tony wordlessly to the workshop. Once Tony started getting secured into his armor, she just had to ask, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You wanted me to train you, did you not?"

"Yes," Nicole said. "But you're mad at me now for some _strange_ reason."

"It doesn't matter, Nicole."

"Obviously it does to you if you're mad at me," Nicole said. "Get mad at me, yell at me, do whatever the fuck you want, just don't deny the fact. What did I do to piss you off now?"

"Nothing," Tony shook his head. "Nothing at all."

"_Fine,_ you fucking jackass," Nicole snarled as he snapped his helmet into place. "Be as much as a stuck up ass as you like."

Nicole got secured into her own armor and followed Tony out of the workshop through the garage exit. They were not even 100 feet in the air when Tony shot his first repulsar ray at her. She narrowly dodged it, but felt the heat from it as it passed her. Instantly, she whirled around and fired her own beam right back.

"You're willing to fight back?"

"I'm willing to do whatever the hell I have to do," Nicole snarled. "I'm through being scared."

She fired a missile which hit one of Tony's gauntlets, dented it, and ricocheted out to the ocean.

"If only your father could see you now…."

Tony's taunt rang in her ears as he shot a missile of his own at her. It hit her directly before she even realized it. Her armor groaned slightly as she flew downward several feet.

"Sophie! Keep me up!" Nicole demanded.

She heard her flight boosters whine and they helped her ascend, but slowly.

"Flight system has been damaged," Sophie's voice responded.

"Like hell it has," Nicole snarled. "Get me up before Tony fucking kills me!"

Her flight boosters continued to whine. Gritting her teeth, Nicole thrust forward as quickly as she could.

"Cant handle a little fire power?"

"I can," Nicole responded. "Your suit on the other hand…."

The next thing Nicole knew, Tony's hand was around her throat. Her own hands flew up to his, and behind her helmet, her eyes widened.

"Tony," Her voice was a gasp. "What the fuck?"

"You're going to have to get used to rough fights, Nicole," Tony's voice was strong and commanding. "I'm not going easy on you anymore."

Nicole's heart pounded painfully as she tried to break Tony's grip. Her head started swimming and she did the one thing she could think of. She charged up the Arc reactor beam and fired. Tony flew off of her, but he also flew into the ocean. With a final whine, her own flight boosters sparked out and she hit the edge of the cliff, but was nonetheless on solid ground.

Nicole's breaths came in sharp, painful bursts. The pain from the day before combined with the pain that came from the battle.

_Tony…._

Nicole sat up instantly. Tony hadn't resurfaced. He was still under the water. Her armor groaned terribly as she tried to get to her feet.

_Come on!_ She urged the armor mentally. She felt like the world around her was in fast forward and she was stuck in slow motion. She just could not move quickly no matter what she tried. But all the attempts at moving were just adding stress and pain to her body. She fell back to the ground in frustration.

"Rhodey!" She finally cried. But the LT colonel was already on his way to help her. He kneeled beside her not two seconds later.

"You've got to get out of your armor, Nicole," Rhodey said, his hand on one of her gauntlets.

"No," Nicole pulled her arm away from him with a little more force than she intended to. "Tony still didn't resurface. I don't know if the armor can—"

She stopped. The water just below the cliff was bubbling as if it had suddenly turned to champagne. Like a geyser, the water shot up, and Nicole caught a glimpse of something red and gold flying through it. Tony landed neatly right in front of Nicole, who sighed in relief.

"Scared you, didn't I?" Tony's manner was no different than if Nicole had just complimented him on the efficiency of the armor.

"You…are a pain in my ass," Nicole responded before flopping back down to her back with a groan of pain.

"I didn't know the armor could work under water," Rhodey commented.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure it could either," Tony responded. "Nikki, are you alright?"

"I need…a bath," Nicole groaned.

Tony wasn't sure whether he should laugh or not, "A bath?" He repeated.

Nicole nodded, "A _different_ kind of bath from what you're thinking, but a bath nonetheless."

Fifteen minutes later, having been helped out of her armor by Tony and Rhodey, Nicole had gone out to her car to retrieve a small bottle before allowing Tony to show her to one of the bathrooms. The bathroom was _huge_, but it didn't surprise Nicole. Once Tony left her alone, she walked over to the Jacuzzi and began to fill it with amazingly warm water. Once it was filled (which took a surprisingly short amount of time considering its size), Nicole popped open the bottle and poured the remaining pills into it. The water immediately bubbled and turned a light blue. When the bubbling ceased, Nicole peeled off her clothes and slid into the Jacuzzi with a sigh.

The pills that she had poured into the Jacuzzi had been one of her many creations. They had healing properties, which was just what she needed. The Jacuzzi now looked as if someone had poured bubble bath into it, leaving a layer of bubbles over the top. She let herself sink into the water, just up to her nose. With a sigh, she closed her eyes.

The world around her now seemed silent and peaceful. _If only it could always be like this_, Nicole found herself thinking. _But then, life really wouldn't be much fun, would it?_

After about ten minutes, there was a light knock on the door. Nicole's bright eyes popped open to see Tony's reflection in the mirror. A smirk came to her face as he walked closer to her. He kneeled down beside the Jacuzzi, and Nicole merely looked at him. She was covered entirely by the bubbles, so she was a little curious as to what he wanted.

"Feeling any better?" Tony inquired after a few silent moments.

Nicole shrugged.

"I'm sorry I scared you like that."

Nicole shrugged again; she really didn't see where this was going.

"Can I tell you something?"

Nicole nodded slightly, not wanting the bubbles to rush up her nose.

"I'm proud of you."

Nicole shot him a look of confusion, _He was proud of her?!_

It seemed Tony understood her look, "You didn't let me take advantage of the situation. Hell, you would have drowned me because I was about to choke you."

Nicole's look became reproachful.

"You do know I would have never really choked you, right?"

It was then that Nicole sat up slightly, "Yes, of course I do, Tony. But I wasn't really thinking straight…."

"Understandable," Tony said. "The adrenaline rushing through your body doesn't let you think like you normally would. But I _really_ was just expecting you to plead with me; I wasn't expecting an attack like that."

"'An attack?'" Nicole repeated. "Okay, I did not _attack_ you, I was defending myself."

"Whatever the hell _you_ call it, Nikki," Tony rolled his eyes. "So what the hell is this bath anyway?"

"Maybe you should join me and find out," Nicole said with a naughty smirk as she sank back down to her nose.

TBC!

**AN: Lucky chapter 13… I hope y'all liked it!**

**Preview of Chapter 14: Nicole gets a call that could change everything between her and Tony…. **


	14. The Threat

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Tony grinned back, his hand cupping the side of Nicole's face.

"As much as I would love to, I—"

Tony paused as the distinctive ring of Nicole's blackberry sounded. Nicole groaned as Tony retrieved the phone and held it out for her. She sighed and held out her wet hand for it. She looked at the screen and gasped.

"Oh, shit!" She whispered as she jabbed the answer key. "Hello?"

Tony hadn't looked at the screen to see who had been calling, but he could tell by Nicole's….word choice, that it wasn't someone she wanted to be talking to.

"Okay…_Okay!_ I'll be there soon…_Whatever…_Bye."

Nicole dropped her blackberry to the floor by her clothes and growled.

"Who was that?" Tony asked.

"Oh," Nicole said, as if she just remembered Tony was there. "Only my father. He decided to drop by my house and expected me to actually be there. Funnily enough, Sophie has explicit instructions to never let him in when I'm not there so he spent the last half hour arguing with my _lovely_ AI."

Tony wasn't sure whether or not he should laugh, "So you've got to go meet him?"

"Unfortunately," Nicole nodded.

Tony got a towel for her and wrapped her in it as she stood up from the Jacuzzi.

"Do you want me to come along?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Oh, for sure," Nicole said as she began to pull on her clothes. "Maybe you'll give him a heart attack…."

Tony laughed, "Call me later to tell me you're alright, hm?"

"For sure," Nicole said. She kissed him on the cheek and began to walk away. But as she did, Tony caught her by the wrist and pulled her back for a real kiss. Nicole sighed into the kiss as she pulled away, "_Stop_ it. I'll be _fine_."

"I love you," Tony said, caressing the side of her face.

"You too," Nicole responded.

Nicole pulled into her driveway about twenty minutes later to see a Rolls-Royce Phantom parked in her spot. She rolled her eyes and pulled up beside it. As she got out of her car, so did her father. Ben Lion was a tall and intimidating man. He and Nicole were complete opposites when it came to looks. Nicole had brunette hair, while his was blonde. Her eyes were a kind blue color while his were black. Her features combined to make a warm and kind face, Ben's features combined seemed to make a cold and arrogant face.

"Hi," Nicole said without looking at him as she walked up to the front door. The lock clicked as she approached it and she opened the door without hesitation.

"That damned AI of yours needs to learn some respect," Ben commented.

Nicole bit back her response initially, but then remembered everything Tony had ever said to her. _I am not a kid anymore!_

"Shut up," Nicole snapped. "Sophie's _amazing_."

"'_She's_' a computer."

"She's so much more than that, _dad…_" Nicole rolled her eyes. "Now, you said you wanted to talk business, what business?"

"A friend of mine was over for dinner last night," Ben began. "He offered up some advice that is going to benefit Lion Labs greatly."

"Oh?" Nicole was interested. "You _do_ know that Lion Labs belongs to _me_ right?"

Ben ignored her statement, "Buy out Stark Industries, and Lion Labs will be just about the most amazing company in the world."

Nicole's froze, "Stark Industries? Why the hell would I want to buy out _Stark Industries_?"

"The company's been doing rather…bad recently," Ben explained. "If you buy it out you can restore it and benefit entirely from it."

"It's not worth it," Nicole said. "I don't want it, and I don't need it."

"You're _going_ to do it."

"Excuse me?" Nicole snapped.

"Do it," Ben said. "Or Stark Industries won't be the only company headed for the end."

"You wouldn't dare," Nicole stood her ground in front of her father.

"Try me."

"Get out," Nicole said. "Get out of my house, you fucking bastard and don't _ever_ come back here."

Nicole was suddenly thrown back off her feet. Her face stung terribly and her father towered over her. Her shaking hand rose to her face where her father had struck her.

"Watch your tongue, you ungrateful little bitch," Ben snarled. "You have 24 hours. Either buy out Stark Industries, or Lion Laboratories' reputation is going down the drain."

Ben left Nicole trembling on the floor. She tried to stand up, but felt like she was stuck in her armor.

"Nicole?" Sophie's voice was hesitant.

"What?" Nicole shook as she stood up.

"I'm sorry."

"It's too fucking late for sorry, Sophie," Nicole snarled. "Fuck it, fuck it, fuck it!"

She grabbed her cell phone and dialed as quickly as she could.

"Hello?" Lala's normally reassuring voice did nothing for Nicole at that moment.

"I need you to get me as many as Stark Industries' stocks as you can ASAP."

TBC!

**AN: Uh-oh! Looks like trouble ahead! Hehehehe….**


	15. The Battle

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As Tony walked into Stark Industries the next morning, he felt a weird vibe. The entire morning had felt weird to him in all honesty. There was something wrong, but he couldn't just put his finger on it. But there was another thing bothering him as well. Nicole hadn't called him like she had promised she would. When he'd tried calling her the night before, her phone was busy at first and then spent the rest of the night sending his calls straight to the voicemail.

As if to further worry him, Pepper bolted into his office looking as if she'd been thoroughly harassed not even ten seconds after he'd walked in.

"Is it just me," Tony said. "Or is there like a black cloud just hanging over us today?"

"Tony," Pepper's voice was serious. "I need to talk to you, _quickly_."

"What's up?" Tony sat down in his big leather chair behind his desk and promptly crossed his feet on the edge of his desk.

"You remember how stocks haven't been doing so well lately?" Pepper inquired.

"_If_ you tell me that I'm the only one holding stocks to my company right now, Pepper, I may just have a heart attack," Tony said.

Pepper shook her head, "_All_ the stocks that were returned were picked up in the last 24 hours."

"Then that's good, isn't it?"

"_No!_" Pepper nearly exclaimed. "_Not_ if they were all picked up by _one_ person."

"Nobody in their right mind is investing like that in Stark Industries right now, Pep," Tony said in spite of himself. "Our track record ain't the best at the moment."

"Tell that to Nicole Lion."

Tony's face turned stony, "WHAT?!"

The doors to Tony's office slammed open. Nicole walked in, Lala at her heels. There were two guards following her as well.

"What the fuck is going on?" Tony demanded of her.

"I bought you out," Nicole said, her tone slightly amused. "I took all the stocks I could get, and now, _I_ have the majority of Stark Industries' stocks. I'm your boss now."

"Like hell," Tony snarled. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would you….?"

Tony's mind was rushing. Everything that happened between him and Nicole the previous weeks… He couldn't believe he had been so….

"Stupid," Tony growled. "Were you planning this all along?"

"What?" Nicole said.

"_Everything_ between me and you," Tony growled. "I can't believe I was so blind…"

Nicole shook her head, "Tony, it's not like that."

"Then explain it to me," Tony said.

"I can't," Nicole shook her head. "Not now."

"Nice excuse," Tony snarled.

"It's not a fucking excuse!" Nicole exclaimed. "Tony, the walls have eyes."

Tony looked at her like she was insane; honestly, she thought she was too at that exact moment. How could she be doing all of this? This wasn't who she was….

"You're just like that goddamn father of yours," Tony snarled. "A fucking soulless dictator!"

Okay, talk about driving a stake through her heart. Feeling as if one of the shrapnel pieces had broken free of the electromagnet's control, she actually gasped in pain and doubled over.

"Nikki?" Lala's voice was full of concern and her hand was on Nicole's shoulder.

Nicole gritted her teeth and slapped Lala's hand away, "I'm _fine_." She stood back up shaking slightly and faced Tony. "I need you out of here, ASAP."

With that, she left, her chest still aching slightly. That had been weird. She'd never felt that before. But she had bigger things to worry about. The rest of her plan was either going to demolish the rest of her relationship with Tony, or destroy her mentally. Either way, it wasn't looking good.

That night, Nicole drove to Tony's house to try and talk to him. If the pain she had been feeling before had been bad, it was nothing compared to what was going on inside of her body as she was driving. But like always, pain was one of the last things on Nicole's mind.

She walked into Tony's mansion, slightly surprised that Jarvis didn't stop her.

"Jarvis?" Her voice sounded like she was maybe about three inches tall.

"Yes, Ms. Nicole?" Jarvis's abrupt tone startled her slightly.

"Where's Tony?" Nicole inquired.

"Get out."

Nicole turned around and found Tony walking up the steps from his workshop. He looked _pissed_. Nicole instinctively took a step back, but shook her head.

"Not until I talk to you, Tony."

"I'm through talking to backstabbing bitches like you," Tony's words could have sliced through her skin.

"I didn't have a choice, Tony," Nicole said. "My father threatened to—"

"_Stop it_," Tony snarled. "Your father _isn't_ you. Your father may have said something to you, but that _doesn't_ give you the right to do what you did."

"Here," Nicole tossed something at Tony. He caught it and looked at it blankly. It was a large envelope with his name on it.

"What the hell is this?" Tony asked.

"Something I want you to see and something I want you to read," Nicole responded. Her hand went subconsciously to her face. Tony saw her touching a black and blue mark that had appeared there. He remembered it from the morning, but it hadn't been there the day before.

"What—"

Tony was cut off by Jarvis, "Excuse me, Sir, but Ezekiel Stane has reemerged."

"Never mind," Tony shook his head. He tossed the envelope onto the couch and began to walk back to his workshop.

"I want to help you," Nicole said.

Tony turned back to her, "Do whatever you want, but don't expect me to protect you."

"I don't need _you_ to protect me," Nicole growled through gritted teeth. She followed him to his workshop. Tony got into his armor first and flew off at a lightning fast pace. Once Nicole was secured into her armor, she followed the trail his armor left behind and caught up with him rather quickly. She was pleased to see that she could fly so well with so little training. She was half expecting Tony to say something to her, but no comment came.

What did come was the missile.

"Incoming," Sophie said. "Three, two…."

Nicole blasted the missile with one of her own that came up out of her forearm. It caused a big ball of fire to erupt, but Nicole flew straight through it without getting burned. And then, she saw him.

It was the first time she was seeing the Iron Monger Mark II armor in person. She hadn't really been sure of what to expect, but now that she saw it, she felt a twinge of worry stab at her. It was definitely lower tech than either her or Tony's own armor, but the rate that it was firing at them was alarming.

"So," Stane's voice rang out. "The rumors are true, there _is_ an Iron Woman."

"Damn straight there is," Nicole responded.

Stane laughed, "You're not even worth my time. Girls don't know how to fight."

"Oh, we don't?" Nicole snarled. She charged up her repulsar rays and fired them off. Stane dodged them and launched for her. His hand closed around her throat.

"Ahem!" Tony coughed, launching a missile. The missile hit Stane and forced him off of Nicole. "I believe your fight is with me."

"Why only fight one of you?" Stane inquired. "There's enough firepower to go around."

Nicole was forced to fly upwards as a plume of flames shot out towards her. She looked around for Tony to see Stane advancing on him. Something wasn't right. Tony was slowly sliding downward.

_His flight system_, Nicole's inner voice urged her.

Nicole fired a series of bullets in hopes of getting Stane's attention back to her. Stane flew over to her, standing feet apart from her.

"Why are you wasting your time, sweetheart?" Stane asked.

"Sweetheart this," Nicole snarled. She kicked Stane in the chest and rocketed off of him, blasting him with her lasers as she went. Stane flew after her. It seemed to Nicole like a game of cat and mouse.

"Hold still, you little bitch!"

Nicole suddenly halted and Stane flew past her, unable to stop as quickly.

"I _am_ so sick of being called a _bitch_!" Nicole snarled.

"Then I suggest you get used to it," Tony advised as he caught up with her.

"You _are not_ helping!" Nicole snapped.

"I didn't come to help you," Tony said. "I came to finish what _I_ started."

"With a damaged flight system?" Nicole inquired.

"I have enough power to fight," Tony assured her.

Nicole rolled her eyes and flew upward. She decided to be a spectator for a few moments. She watched as Tony took a few more hits and gave some back to Stane.

_He's not going to win this_, Nicole's voice screamed in her head.

"Enough of this, Stark," Stane growled. "Time for you to meet my best weapon."

A rocket launcher rose out of the back of Stane's armor. Nicole's eyes widened as she saw Tony shrink back slowly.

"NO!" Nicole yelled, flying down as the rocket was launched. She slammed into Tony, knocking him down.

"NICOLE!"

The rocket hit Nicole right in the middle of her reactor. Blood spurted everywhere as Nicole flew headfirst towards the ground. She hit the ground with a crash and didn't move again.

"Nicole…." Tony's voice trailed off. Nicole had saved him. After everything that he'd said to her, she'd still saved him. Tony turned to Stane, fury pounding through his veins. "Jarvis, fire everything and everything we've got."

"But sir, doing that—"

"I don't care!" Tony roared. "Do it!"

All of Tony's missiles went off along with his three repulsar rays. Stane erupted into a ball of fire, but Tony didn't give a damn. He flew as fast as he could back to the ground. Nicole lay motionless in the middle of a crater. His heart pounding, Tony ripped off her helmet. Nicole's eyes were open and unseeing. Her lips were parted and slowly turning blue. No air came in or out of her lips or nose. Her reactor, it was dead….He could visualize the shrapnel piercing her heart….

"She's dead."

Tony looked up to see the cold face of Nick Fury.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked, trying to fight the emotions that were threatening him.

"I need to take her from you," Fury said.

"No," Tony snarled.

"She can't be found dead like this, Tony, it will cause too many problems."

"What are you going to do to her?" Tony asked.

"Make sure that her _disappearance_ doesn't look suspicious," Fury responded.

END

**AN: Ahhhhhh! I hope I managed to surprise a few of you with that ending! I'm not done yet though, there's still the epilogue, so keep an eye out for that. I may post it today, I may not. I want to also than Pearl's Beauty for the help that she gave me. You rock! Well, keep your eyes open!**


	16. Epilogue: Whispers on the Wind

Epilogue

Epilogue

The mansion was dark and foreboding, very much like its lone occupant. Tony Stark was stuck in hell. Days had crept by since the final battle with Ezekiel Stane. All Tony could feel now was guilt and self-loathing. He couldn't believe that he was actually living in reality. Nicole was gone. She was gone because she had been trying to save him.

_Why did she do that?_ Tony's mind kept asking over and over and over again. _I didn't deserve to be saved by her_.

He stalked into his living room. His eyes found the envelope that was laying there just waiting for him. He felt sick just looking at it. Nicole had wanted him to look at it, but he couldn't bring himself to.

_Enough already_, Tony reprimanded himself. _Just get it over with_.

Tony walked over to the couch and tore open the envelope. A DVD slid out, along with two letters. He took the DVD and slid it into the DVD player connected to the plasma screen TV. He pressed play and went to watch it.

He saw Nicole standing a few feet away from her father

"_Buy out Stark Industries, and Lion Labs will be just about the most amazing company in the world."_

_Nicole's froze, "Stark Industries? Why the hell would I want to buy out Stark Industries?"_

"_The company's been doing rather…bad recently," Ben explained. "If you buy it out you can restore it and benefit entirely from it."_

"_It's not worth it," Nicole said. "I don't want it, and I don't need it."_

"_You're going to do it."_

"_Excuse me?" Nicole snapped._

"_Do it," Ben said. "Or Stark Industries won't be the only company headed for the end."_

"_You wouldn't dare," Nicole stood her ground in front of her father._

"_Try me."_

"_Get out," Nicole said. "Get out of my house, you fucking bastard and don't ever come back here."_

_Nicole was suddenly thrown back off her feet. Her face stung terribly and her father towered over her. Her shaking hand rose to her face where her father had struck her._

"_Watch your tongue, you ungrateful little bitch," Ben snarled. "You have 24 hours. Either buy out Stark Industries, or Lion Laboratories' reputation is going down the drain."_

The DVD froze and so did Tony. He had flinched when he saw Nicole get hit by her father. The mark on her face. That was where it had come from. And of course, now he felt like an ass when he thought about how he had yelled at Nicole when she'd tried to talk to him. Tony felt even sicker with himself as he took the first letter.

"'I, Nicole Lion, do hereby relinquish ownership of Lion Laboratories and all it's entities to the ownership of Mr. Anthony Edward Stark….'"

Tony's voice trailed off. Was she so determined to make him feel sick to his stomach? She'd returned Stark Industries to him, _along_ with all of Lion Labs.

_Why would she do that?_

Tony reached for the second letter.

_Tony-_

_I know that you're probably still furious with me right now, but I hope to at least change some of that. Lion Labs belongs to you now. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore. Now my father can't threaten me with it anymore, and you can get Stark Industries back to where it should be. I hope you forgive me for making it seem like I was trying to take you over entirely. This was my plan all along; to buy you out and then return everything and more to you. I hope you forgive me._

_Nicole_

Tears threatened Tony's eyes worse than ever before. If he would have read this days earlier….Nicole might still be alive. They would have been working together instead of against one another and Stane.

"Nicole…" Tony finally gave into his tears. He tossed the letter room him like it would burn him.

'_Tony…_'

Tony sat bolt upright. He had heard it like a whisper on the wind, but he was sure he had heard it.

"Nicole?"

End

**AN: Okay, in case y'all are wondering, YES, there will be a sequel! I've already got it planned out and ready to roll, but I'm probably going to put it up on either Sunday or Monday, probably the latter because I have a good friend's b-day to celebrate. I hope y'all enjoyed this story, and I REALLY hope y'all will come read my second Iron Man story! I want to thank all of you who have been reviewing since the beginning: StarkReactor, DarkSora31, Haha21, PureRose, Electrogirl88, and OF COURSE, Pearl's Beauty! Bye for now!**

**PS: Pearl's Beauty, don't you worry about Nicole… ;) look out for the sequel!**


	17. Author's Note Didja Miss me?

Hey guys! It's been a while, and I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for that! Anyways, I just wanted to let you all know that once my senior year is over -sniff!- I will be reposting Haunted. I've been doing a rewrite of it over the last few weeks, and once I am out of school for the summer and have time to concentrate on it, I'll post it up! Look out for it!

I missed writing all the Tony/Nicole Drama ;) and believe me, there will be a LOT of it in the rewrite!

~*~IronHeartWriter~*~ 


	18. Another Note

**AN: To those who have read/favorited this fanfic over the years: I have decided to rewrite this story at long last. The heart of the story will remain the same, though my style of writing has changed since this was written. If you enjoyed this fanfic in it's original form, I suggest checking out the rewrite :)**


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